Summary
1 Definition of homelessness
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) uses the cultural definition of homelessness to enumerate the homeless population on census night (Chamberlain and MacKenzie 1992). This definition distinguishes between people in primary, secondary and tertiary homelessness.
Primary homelessness describes the situation of all people without conventional accommodation, such as people living on the streets, sleeping in parks, squatting in derelict buildings, living in improvised dwellings (such as sheds, garages or cabins), and using cars or railway carriages for temporary shelter.
Secondary homelessness describes the situation of people who move frequently from one form of temporary shelter to another. On census night, all people staying in emergency or transitional accommodation provided under the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) are considered part of this category. Secondary homelessness also includes people residing temporarily with other households because they have no accommodation of their own, and people staying in boarding houses on a short-term basis, operationally defined as 12 weeks or less.
Tertiary homelessness describes the situation of people who live in boarding houses on a medium to long-term basis, operationally defined as 13 weeks or longer. Residents of private boarding houses are homeless because their accommodation does not have the characteristics identified in the minimum community standard (Chamberlain and MacKenzie 1992): they do not have a separate bedroom and living room; they do not have kitchen and bathroom facilities of their own; their accommodation is not self-contained; and they do not have security of tenure provided by a lease.
2 Overcounting and undercounting
Chapter 2 summarises how the national homeless count enumerated the homeless population using census and other data sets. It contains a discussion of how there can be both overcounting and undercounting of homeless people. Undercounting is most likely in the census category 'improvised homes, tents and sleepers out', and overcounting is more likely in boarding houses because of misclassification.
The problem of establishing reliable figures is compounded by the fact that the homeless population changes over time. There will always be people who are entering and leaving homelessness, as well as people moving between different locations. The challenge is to identify patterns in the population data that might inform the policy process.
3 Accommodation on census night
Across Australia, 20 per cent of the homeless were in boarding houses on census night but in New South Wales the figure was 28 per cent (Table 1), the highest proportion in any state. Nationally, 19 per cent of the homeless were in SAAP accommodation, and in New South Wales it was also 19 per cent. There were fewer people staying temporarily with other households in New South Wales than there were nationally (40 per cent compared with 45 per cent), and there were fewer people in improvised dwellings, tents or sleeping out (13 per cent compared with 16 per cent). The census was carried out in August, when people sleeping rough are likely to hide away to escape the cold, so there could be undercounting in this category.
| Australia N |
Australia % |
New South Wales N |
New South Wales % |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boarding houses | 21 596 | 20 | 7626 | 28 |
| SAAP accommodation | 19 849 | 19 | 5110 | 19 |
| Friends and relatives | 46 856 | 45 | 10 923 | 40 |
| Improvised dwellings, sleepers out | 16 375 | 16 | 3715 | 13 |
| 104 676 | 100 | 27 374 | 100 |
Source: Census of Population and Housing 2006; SAAP Client Collection 2006; National Census of Homeless School Students 2006.
4 Age distribution
In New South Wales, the age profile of the homeless population was older than the national profile. Forty-five per cent of the homeless in New South Wales were aged 35 or older, compared with the national figure of 42 per cent (Table 2). Thirty per cent of the homeless in New South Wales were aged 45 or older, up from 25 per cent in 2001 (Chamberlain and MacKenzie 2004a, p. 27).
Nonetheless, a majority (55 per cent) of homeless people in New South Wales were in the younger age groups. Eighteen per cent of the homeless were teenagers aged 12 to 18 (mainly on their own). Eleven percent of the homeless were children under 12 who were with one or both parents. Another 10 per cent were young adults aged 19 to 24, and 16 per cent were adults aged 25 to 34.
| Australia N |
Australia % |
New South Wales N |
New South Wales % |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| under 12 | 12 133 | 12 | 58 | 2915 | 11 | 55 |
| 12-18 | 21 940 | 21 | 4987 | 18 | ||
| 19-24 | 10 504 | 10 | 2685 | 10 | ||
| 25-34 | 15 804 | 15 | 4337 | 16 | ||
| 35-44 | 13 981 | 13 | 42 | 4111 | 15 | 45 |
| 45-54 | 12 206 | 12 | 3490 | 13 | ||
| 55-64 | 10 708 | 10 | 2640 | 9 | ||
| 65 or older | 7400 | 7 | 2209 | 8 | ||
| 104 676 | 100 | 27 374 | 100 |
Source: Census of Population and Housing 2006; SAAP Client Collection 2006; National Census of Homeless School Students 2006.
5 Males and Females
In 2006, men outnumbered women in the national homeless population, 56 to 44 per cent (Table 3), and in New South Wales men outnumbered women, 59 to 41 per cent. In New South Wales, there were more females in the 12-to-18 age group (56 to 44 per cent) and roughly equal numbers of males and females in the 19-to-24 and under-12 age groups. However, from age 25 onwards men typically outnumbered women, about 65 to 35 per cent.
Table 3: Percentage of males and females by age group
| Under 12 % |
12-18 % |
19-24 % |
25-34 % |
35-44 % |
45-54 % |
55-64 % |
65+ % |
All % |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 52 | 46 | 53 | 57 | 63 | 64 | 61 | 64 | 56 |
| Female | 48 | 54 | 47 | 43 | 37 | 36 | 39 | 36 | 44 |
| 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Under 12 % |
12-18 % |
19-24 % |
25-34 % |
35-44 % |
45-54 % |
55-64 % |
65+ % |
All % |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 51 | 44 | 53 | 59 | 67 | 69 | 68 | 66 | 59 |
| Female | 49 | 56 | 47 | 41 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 41 |
| 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Source: Census of Population and Housing 2006; SAAP Client Collection 2006; National Census of Homeless School Students 2006.
6 Indigenous and Non-Indigenous
In New South Wales, 2.2 per cent of people identified as Indigenous at the 2006 Census. Table 4 shows that Indigenous people were 2.7 per cent of the boarding house population, 4.3 per cent of those staying with other households, 7.4 per cent of people in improvised dwellings, tents or sleeping rough, and 20.3 per cent of persons in SAAP. Indigenous people were overrepresented in all sections of the homeless population in New South Wales.
| Boarding house (N=7622) % |
Friends or relatives (N=10 923) % |
SAAP (N=4942) % |
Improvised dwellings (N=3709) % |
All* (N=27 196) % |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Indigenous | 97.3 | 95.7 | 79.7 | 92.6 | 92.8 |
| Indigenous | 2.7 | 4.3 | 20.3 | 7.4 | 7.2 |
| 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Source: Census of Population and Housing 2006; SAAP Client Collection 2006; National Census of Homeless School Students 2006.
* Figures have been adjusted for missing data on Indigenous status, except in 178 cases where there was inadequate information to make the adjustment.
7 Sydney
The Sydney statistical division comprises 14 subdivisions. This analysis groups them into four areas which are referred to as the 'City Core', the 'Inner City Ring', the 'Outer City Ring' and the 'Growth Corridors'.
The City Core is the subdivision of Inner Sydney. It has a population of 313 000 and includes the City of Sydney, Leichhardt, Marrickville and South Sydney. It shares a boundary with Sydney Harbour.
The Inner City Ring includes the other four subdivisions which adjoin Sydney Harbour. They are Lower Northern Sydney, Eastern Suburbs, Inner Western Sydney and Central Western Sydney. The Inner City Ring has a population of 991 000.
The Outer City Ring includes six subdivisions with a population of 1.98 million. They are: St George-Sutherland in the south, Blacktown in the west, Canterbury-Bankstown and Fairfield-Liverpool in the south-west, Central Northern Sydney and Northern Beaches (Manly, Pittwater and Warringah).
The Growth Corridors comprise: Outer Western Sydney (which contains Penrith and the Blue Mountains); Outer South Western Sydney, which contains Campbelltown; and the Gosford-Wyong Growth Corridor. Their combined population is 838 000.
| City Core | Inner City Ring | Outer City Ring | Growth Corridors | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 4163 | 5221 | 4277 | 2295 | 15 956 |
| Rate | 133 | 53 | 22 | 27 | 39 |
Source: Census of Population and Housing 2006; SAAP Client Collection 2006; National Census of Homeless School Students 2006.
Table 5 shows that there were 4163 homeless people in the City Core and the rate of homelessness was 133 per 10 000, down from 164 per 10 000 in 2001. The City Core had eight per cent of Sydney's population, but 26 per cent of its homeless people. It is usual to find a higher rate of homelessness in the inner suburbs of capital cities. This is the case in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Brisbane. People often gravitate to the inner city, where services for homeless people have traditionally been located.
In the Inner City Ring, there were 5221 homeless people and the rate was 53 per 10 000. There were 4277 homeless people in the Outer City Ring, where the rate was 22 per 10 000. The rate was 27 per 10 000 in the Growth Corridors, where there were 2295 homeless people.
Altogether, there were 11 793 homeless people in suburban Sydney, compared with 4163 in the City Core. The provision of services in suburban areas assists people in the early stages of homelessness, including those at risk, and reduces the move to the inner city.
8 Hunter and Illawarra
Table 6 shows that the census identified 1981 homeless people in Hunter and 1338 in Illawarra. The rate of homelessness was 34 per 10 000 in both statistical divisions.
| Hunter Newcastle |
Hunter Hunter SD Balance |
Hunter Total |
Illawarra Wollongong |
Illawarra Nowra-Bomaderry |
Illawarra Illawarra SD Balance |
Illawarra Total |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 1574 | 407 | 1981 | 941 | 145 | 252 | 1338 |
| Rate | 32 | 42 | 34 | 36 | 47 | 25 | 34 |
Source: Census of Population and Housing 2006; SAAP Client Collection 2006; National Census of Homeless School Students 2006.
In Hunter, about 80 per cent of homeless people (1574 people) were in Newcastle where the rate was 32 per 10 000. In Illawarra, 70 per cent of homeless people (941 people) were in Wollongong where the rate was 36 per 10 000. The rate of homelessness was higher in Hunter SD Balance (42 per 10 000) and Nowra-Bomaderry (47 per 10 000), but the number of homeless people in these subdivisions was 407 and 145 respectively. When policy makers allocate resources, they should consider the number of homeless people in a community, as well as the rate of homelessness.
9 Inland
Chapter 6 examines six statistical divisions which cover inland New South Wales (Map 1). They are Northern, Central West, Murrumbidgee, North Western, Murray and the Far West. Most divisions contain one major urban area and two to three rural/remote subdivisions. The six divisions have a combined population of 743 000.
| Urban subdivisions | Rural subdivisions | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 1330 | 2337 | 3667 |
| Rate | 50 | 50 | 50 |
Source: Census of Population and Housing 2006; SAAP Client Collection 2006; National Census of Homeless School Students 2006.
Table 7 shows that there were 3667 homeless people in inland New South Wales, and that the rate was 50 per 10 000 in the urban and rural subdivisions.
There were 94 homeless people in Orange, 111 in Broken Hill, 150 in Tamworth and 164 in Bathurst. The numbers were higher in Albury and Wagga Wagga where there were 344 and 251 homeless people respectively.
10 Coastal
There are three statistical divisions on the New South Wales coast, in addition to Sydney, Hunter and Illawarra. They are Richmond-Tweed, Mid-North Coast and South Eastern ('coastal new South Wales'). There were 4428 homeless people in coastal New South Wales, where the rate of homelessness was 63 per 10 000 (Table 8).
Table 8 shows that there were 1342 homeless people in five urban subdivisions, where the rate of homelessness was 61 per 10 000. There were 396 homeless people in Tweed Heads, 241 in Lismore, 247 in Coffs harbour, 170 in Port Macquarie and 288 in Queanbeyan. There were 3086 homeless people in the six rural subdivisions, where the rate was 64 per 10 000.
| Urban subdivisions | Rural subdivisions | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 1342 | 3086 | 4428 |
| Rate | 61 | 64 | 63 |
Source: Census of Population and Housing 2006; SAAP Client Collection 2006; National Census of Homeless School Students 2006.